Climate Change & Conservation

What you'll learn

Understand the greenhouse effect, the main greenhouse gases, the global climate treaties from UNFCCC to Paris, ozone agreements, and India's climate actions.

This chapter has

Climate Change & Conservation — solved practice questions

8 UPSC Environment & Ecology questions with step-by-step solutions. Attempt each, then reveal the answer.

1. Q1hard

   Among the following greenhouse gases, which has the highest global warming potential (GWP) over a 100-year horizon?

   • ACarbon dioxide
   • BMethane
   • CNitrous oxide
   • DSulphur hexafluoride
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (D) Sulphur hexafluoride

   Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) has an extremely high GWP — thousands of times that of carbon dioxide — because it is a very stable molecule that strongly absorbs infrared radiation and persists in the atmosphere for a very long time.

2. Q2medium

   The Montreal Protocol (1987) is an international agreement aimed primarily at:

   • AReducing greenhouse gas emissions
   • BConserving wetlands of international importance
   • CRegulating international trade in endangered species
   • DPhasing out ozone-depleting substances
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (D) Phasing out ozone-depleting substances

   The Montreal Protocol governs the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Its later Kigali Amendment additionally targets hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are potent greenhouse gases.

3. Q3hard

   With reference to international climate agreements, consider the following statements: 1. The Kyoto Protocol set legally binding emission-reduction targets only on developed (Annex I) countries. 2. The Paris Agreement requires each party to set its own Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   • A1 only
   • B2 only
   • CBoth 1 and 2
   • DNeither 1 nor 2
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (C) Both 1 and 2

   The Kyoto Protocol placed binding targets on developed countries under 'common but differentiated responsibilities', whereas the Paris Agreement relies on voluntary, nationally determined contributions from all parties. Both statements are correct.

4. Q4medium

   The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), established in 1988, was set up jointly by:

   • AThe World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
   • BUNESCO and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
   • CWHO and UNDP
   • DWWF and IUCN
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (A) The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

   The IPCC was created by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). It does not conduct original research but assesses published scientific literature on climate change.

5. Q5medium

   Which of the following statements about atmospheric ozone is correct?

   • AOzone in the troposphere shields the Earth from ultraviolet radiation
   • BOzone in the stratosphere acts mainly as a harmful surface pollutant
   • CStratospheric ozone protects life by absorbing ultraviolet radiation
   • DOzone (O3) is chemically identical to molecular oxygen (O2)
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (C) Stratospheric ozone protects life by absorbing ultraviolet radiation

   Stratospheric ('good') ozone absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation, whereas tropospheric ('bad') ozone near the surface is a pollutant and a greenhouse gas. Ozone (O3) is a triatomic molecule, chemically distinct from O2.

6. Q6medium

   The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) were both opened for signature at:

   • AThe Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro, 1992
   • BThe Stockholm Conference, 1972
   • CThe Johannesburg Summit, 2002
   • DThe Kyoto Conference, 1997
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (A) The Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro, 1992

   Both conventions were opened for signature at the 1992 Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development) in Rio de Janeiro; the Convention to Combat Desertification also emerged from this summit.

7. Q7medium

   The international convention known as CITES is concerned with the:

   • AProtection of the ozone layer
   • BConservation of migratory birds
   • CReduction of transboundary air pollution
   • DRegulation of international trade in endangered species
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (D) Regulation of international trade in endangered species

   CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) regulates cross-border trade in listed species through its Appendices I, II and III, so that such trade does not threaten their survival.

8. Q8hard

   In the IUCN Red List, which category denotes the highest extinction risk for a species that still survives in the wild?

   • AVulnerable
   • BEndangered
   • CCritically Endangered
   • DNear Threatened
   Show answer & solution

   Correct answer: (C) Critically Endangered

   Among species still surviving in the wild, 'Critically Endangered' indicates the highest risk of extinction, followed by 'Endangered' and then 'Vulnerable' — together these three form the 'threatened' categories.

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